Thursday, December 31, 2009

At the time, I almost didn't realize how great of a find this was. But if I consider the memories captured + the current going prices on eBay, my Polaroid camera and two packs of film for under $10 was my best find ever.

My finds from 11/7- the day of my best (most favorite) find: An old Polaroid camera and 2 packs of photos!

I decided to save the film to use on my Christmas vacation with my family, and I have bought a cute little album to put them in. Here are some of my favorites:

From top left, clockwise: Me and my Mom; My brother; The view out of the back of the cabin; The view out of the front- Grandfather Mountain!; The snowman that my Grandpa, Mom, and brother made; Everyone's stockings on Christmas Eve

I made a good decision waiting until Christmas to use most of the photos: I love how they turned out, and they mean so much more than digital photos! I can't wait to get my little album, so I can have them to flip through and remember a great Christmas with the ones I love :)

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

As the countdown winds down (tomorrow's the last day), I thought I'd share a list of some of my best Christmas present finds.

Because all of the great people I got gifts for this year read this blog, I couldn't risk posting these before now. (And, I also forgot to take pictures of them before I gave them away...whoops!)

I do have access to the hubby's, so here are the awesome Nintendo games (he has a Nintendo) I got him for Christmas/ our anniversary:

Awesome, right?

I also got him a collection of vintage James Bond novels and a Pink Floyd CD, all from thrift stores!

Some other Christmas present finds:

A pansy glass plate, a Stone Mountain leather purse, three Munich large glass beer mugs, a Longerberger basket, a vintage Boy Scout first aid kit, various made in Japan goodies, and a Lenox Christmas ornament, among others!

It was so much fun to find most of the Christmas gifts at thrift stores this year. Not only was it easier on the budget, but it seemed to mean more too. I hope everyone liked their gifts (you know who you are!), and have a great last couple days of the year, everyone!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

You guys have totally not seen this yet! I found this really neat handmade blanket at my local Goodwill a couple weeks ago. Although it was "sanitized" by Goodwill, I went ahead and washed it before I used it, and it made it out of the washer no worse for wear :)

I love the flowers, the pretty colors, and the fact that it was a mere $2.99. I guess they figured no one would dare try to wash it, and why would you want a used blanket? Well, for one, I can't make one of these myself, and as long as it can be washed, a used blanket is just fine! Have a great Tuesday :)

Monday, December 28, 2009

I'm back in Richmond! While it's nice to be back in our place, I already miss my family like crazy.

I didn't have much luck at the Boone thrift shops. They were either: snowed shut, closed, or super-tiny and kind of awful.

(This is the Bare Bones Thrift Shop. Er, or I guess it was at some point. Not only was it completely snowed in, but it was a rickety old barn in a neighborhood...)

(And then there was the...lovely...Unique Boutique. Although they were closed, they left the $1 clothing on the porch. Of course, I found a Ralph Lauren wool sweater I wanted, so I left the hanger with a dollar bill hanging on the door!)

The one exception to the crappy thrifting was the local Goodwill, which was pretty much the only place I found anything. I'll have photos of what I did find in a couple of days (I haven't unpacked yet!), but here are some of my favorite photos from the trip:

Boone's ice storm left the trees all Chronicles of Narnia-esque

We thought it was so awesome that they had the same lamp as us in our rented cabin!

I've been a Carole King fan ever since the first episode of Gilmore Girls, where one of her songs was the theme song. So when I found this CD, in the package, at Goodwill for $3.25, I grabbed it.

I didn't expect how much I would love the Joni Mitchell CD too! I got it because of the great price (also $3.25 and you can see how much it originally was!), but it is very cool music. Such a great deal for these!

Awesome.

Josh and I are heading back to Virginia today, so expect an update from our trip very soon!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

On a blog-unrelated note, it's Josh and I's one year anniversary today! We'll be going to a nice restaurant up here in North Carolina, and exhanging under $5 funny gifts. (We decided to do that since our anniversary falls 2 days after Christmas!)

Anwayyyyy. Here is day three of the finds of '09 countdown:

Vintage Dooney & Bourke Bag, Goodwill Outlet ($2)

I really love this bag- it's just the right size for carrying the essentials, and it's such great quality :)

Saturday, December 26, 2009

No matter what great things I find while thrifting, I don't know how I'll ever beat this $50 leather chair! It's totally perfect in our living room, and it was priced just right at our local Goodwill :)

Have a great day-after Christmas, everyone! Good luck with after-Christmas shopping, if you're going! The only after-Christmas shopping I'll be doing will be at thrift stores :) I'll post all of the things I find as soon as I get back!

Friday, December 25, 2009

When my brother and I were younger, my mom and dad would set out our "santa" gifts with these cute little boy and girl mouses. I've no idea where those have gone to over the years, but when I was at Goodwill Outlet a couple weeks ago, I found a girl mouse!!! The same one! So, of course I grabbed it and washed it, and it's with me in North Carolina.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

We are leaving this afternoon for Boone, North Carolina! (Don't worry, I have posts all scheduled for when I'm gone. :)) I'm hoping that going to a bunch of different thrift stores that I've never been to will give me some thrifting luck.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

So, at the awesome yard sale I went to the other weekend, I found an old Harley sticker. And that has led me to a search for more!

Why would I like vintage stickers, you ask?

To put on my vintage suitcase/ train cases!!! I think they'd look soooo cool (or, even cooler than they already are) with tough-guy old stickers on them.

I did a search on etsy, but didn't find much. It would be ideal to get/ find a whole bunch at one time, but I know that'll be hard. I did find this little guy here, but I worry that the puffiness might be too much for a suitcase?

I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled when I'm in Boone, NC for Christmas, as I'll be checking out some thrifts there for sure!

Monday, December 21, 2009

When you start thrifting every weekend, you learn quickly how to keep organized and sane. First off, here's what I always have, no matter what purse I'm toting:

1. Two wallets- one with just my thrifting cash (usually $20 or $30, in ones, fives and tens) and one with my driver's license, debit card, etc. This keeps me organized, and makes me less likely to drop/lose/whatever my real wallet with my DL and cards in it!

2. Two cell phones. This really has nothing to do with anything, except that I have two cell phones. One is TMobile that I talk to my parents and Florida friends on, and the other is Verizon that I talk to my hubby and Virginia friends on. Well, I mostly text, but you get the point!

3. Always, Always Hand Sanitizer. This. Is. A. Must. I don't care how clean the thrift store you're in looks, it probably isn't! So, do yourself a favor and sanitize! After every thrift store I go to, I use this stuff.

4. Lip gloss. For some reason, my lips always get chapped when I'm in thrift stores. Weird, but I keep this stuff around for that reason.

5. Gum. I just think gum is always a good idea. When do you not need minty fresh breath? :)

Sunday, December 20, 2009

So I was looking through my thrifting pictures over the last couple of months, and I found this one:

I honestly can't remember when I wore it! Probably a Sunday- when I venture out to whatever estate sales or Goodwills happen to be open. Oh, and I'm wearing my beloved grey suede boots...RIP boots. They suffered an un-fixable rip a couple weeks ago :(

On a happy note, the black long-sleeved shirt here is probably one of the oldest things in my wardrobe. I got it at Banana Republic Outlet 5 years ago, and it was the shirt I wore when I flew up to Virginia from Florida to see Josh for the first time in a couple years.

(Long story. Basically, we dated when we were 13 and 14, he moved to Virginia, we broke up but were friends, he got in a car wreck, called me, we started talking again, I flew up to Virginia that December, and almost 4 years ago we got back together, and now we're married and in Virginia!)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Well, I'm not thrifting today (But I don't have to work this morning! Snow Day! And we're going over to the in-laws for an early Christmas this weekend.) but I thought I'd share some of the cool 80s things I got Wednesday.

Of course, you've met Brown, my Pound Puppy. But just look at his face! Awwwww. He's gettin' old in dog years- he's already 24 in people years!

And now, I'd like you to meet Big Mustard: my mustard-yellow 80s cardigan. While you can't tell very well in this picture, he's quite a bold color! (Now, I want you all to realize that I do not normally name my clothing, and I am not crazy! Um, yeah.)

This week, I thought I'd give you all a creepy-cool break (maybe there's been a bit too much creepy!) and go back to thrift-by-color. Here's a color that I never used to be drawn to, but that I'm totally digging now:

One of these things that I don't think I've talked much about is the stationery kit. I got it at Good Samaritan awhile ago, and I put it up in the shop. But when it wasn't bought within the first couple weeks, and I found myself needing all the goodies in it, I took it out and saved it for me!

It has come in handy, too- the little stapler helps me put together the etsy shop items I send off, and of course the measuring tape comes in handy!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

I know that quite a few of you were interested in the cool vintage bear bandana that I wore a couple weeks ago. Good news for you: I haven't worn it since! I love it, but I am selling it in the shop so that someone who will love it even more can have it :)

Why? I am really in love with old things, and this is just beautifully made and just feels like quality. I got this at Love of Jesus for a mere $1, which makes it even more special. It had the little card with No 54 inside the little zipper!

#2: Black Cut-Out Doc Martins

Why? Um, I like Doc Martins? Growing up, I always wanted them, but they were so expensive! And now I have two pairs :) Ah, thrifting. While I love my other Docs to death, I wanted a black pair too! The very best thing about these is that they were only $3.

#3: Vintage Sewing Basket (as under-desk wastebasket)

Why? I keep having little scraps of paper that I go to throw in the wastebacket under my desk, only to find that I don't have one! Well, now I do. And a quite pretty (and cheap at 50 cents) one, too :)

#4: 80s Sequin T-Shirt

Why? I only recently discovered the "vintage clothing" section of Family Thrift. And to my surprise, everything is priced about the same as regular clothes! I got this neat, sparkly tshirt straight from the 80s for a mere 2 bucks. It kind of reminds me of my high school chorus outfit, which was also sparkly black and gold (although this was in the 2000s, not the 80s.)

#5: Hearts Scarf

Why? Man, am I a sucker for a cute scarf! I couldn't resist the little hearts or the combo of black, red and blue. Since I got this baby at Goodwill Outlet, it was a mere...less than $1. (I doubt it weighed more than a pound!)

So, there you go! My favorite purchases from yesterday's thrift day :)

I was excited to be able to sport my "new" scarf I got this past weekend! It is so quirky with it's clean streams-ness and (best of all) it is super-warm. Also, I love my new aviators. Awesome.

Anyway, I got some really great things today, including: stuff for the shop ( listed here until the end of the day December 20th), another pair of Doc Martins!!!, a really neat 30s or 40s velvet clutch, two vintage sweaters, an 80s sequin shirt, a heart crotchet scarf, and Brown, my new Pound Puppy!!!!!

He is in perfect condition, even though his tag says he was born a year before me, in 1985! I totally remember these growing up, and I am in love with him!!!!! (Don't tell my hubby...LOL!)

I will show you all some of the other goodies I got in tomorrow's post, and then Friday I have a new thrift-by-color. I finally have enough new goodies to do these colorful Fridays for a couple weeks :)

So, I get off of work at 3:00 today! You know what that means, right? I'm going to the thrift stores :)

It actually works out pretty well, since I have stuff to do this weekend (church, hanging out with the in-laws, etc.). This way if I find anything good for the shop, I'll list it right away so you have time to buy it up before the holidays.

Just so you all know, the etsy shop will close for the holidays on December 20th, so if you've been eyeing anything special, snatch it before then!

Here's what I'm looking for today:

Cute sweats (still not sure they exist...)

Vintage pins (I've been selling some from my personal collection- got to replenish!)

Old magazines

Cool wastebasket for under my desk

JCrew anything (same as always...)

Nothing too special. Just kind of keeping an eye out for anything that is too cool to pass up. Hope you all have a great day!

Always,
Amanda

PS: Check out these super-cool items I've purchased on etsy in the past couple days:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sunday, I opened up my JCrew Holiday catalog and saw these really festive flats! Oh, how I want them :)

But, being over $100, they are waaaaaay out of my price range! And what does that mean? DIY time!

I pulled out a $4 pair of thrifted flats that I liked well enough but hadn't worn since Halloween. And here's what I came up with:

I just got some glue and some sequins and went to town! While I loved the effect of just the sequins, they wouldn't stay on with just the glue. Thus the gold sheen on top of the finished pair- I had to get my gold nail polish out and do a coat over the top. And now the shiny-ness is on there for good!

Monday, December 14, 2009

I almost didn't stop at the yard sale on Saturday. I had seen it advertised on yard sale treasure map (seriously check this out if you haven't yet!), but when my GPS said I was there, I saw nothing. An empty yard!

Then a couple more cars pulled up, and I saw that the sale was in the side yard- not the front yard. Whoops!

I am so glad that I stopped, too. Because there was a bunch of cool little old things, like the Vintage Boy Scout First Aid kit I showed you all yesterday. And a box full of old photos.

These were my favorites:

I got a whole handful of stuff there for $3.00, including these and a couple more photos! I don't know why, but I love the turtle and the fish photo a ton. There's something so neat about them.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

While I am horrible at most video games (both my younger brother and my hubby can attest to this!), I do have a Game Boy Advance SP. I have a couple games, but I mostly play this one skateboarding one, where I can just skate around and do tricks.

Anyway, that is why I got this old-school Game Boy holder! I love it :)

Old-School Game Boy Case, Goodwill Outlet ($0.50)

And I have been looking for a vintage Dr. bag...and although I know this kid one isn't it, it is so cute to hold the old spools of thread I also got on Saturday.

Kid's Dr. Bag, Goodwill Outlet (<$1.00)

So, yeah. I am a little bit of a nerd. Although really I am more of a magazine and thrifting nerd than anything else!

Looking through all the awesome things I scored yesterday between the yard sale I went to and my usual thrifts, they were divided. I had some very tomboy-ish treasures, but also more girly things than I usually gravitate toward.

I surprised myself by liking these shoes, but I really am in love with them! My very first vintage shoes :) Same goes with the really neat vintage hat!

And the Baby Sitters Club book- awesome. When I was in 5th grade, I wrote a play with the characters from the books, and my friends and I acted it out. I believe there is still a tape or two of it floating around out there...scary.

I plan on using the vintage thread to tie up treasures that I sell on etsy. I couldn't resist the pretty colors!

As you can see, I did find a Samsonite overnight bag, although not as old as I had hoped! But it has plenty of pockets to organize road-trip type things, so it works :) And I found my (kind of) leather gloves! They are leather where it counts (on the fingers so you can drive with them), and they are stretchy, so they're really comfy!

I couldn't believe it when I saw the old Boy Scout First Aid Kit- it still has some of the things inside, unused! When he saw me carrying it around, the guy running the yard sale said I had a good eye. I guess so, I said, but I just really like cool old things!

And I can't wait to dive right into those old books! So fun- and quick reads, too. Perfect for our relaxing little vacation over Christmas :)

Sorry for the word-heavy post today, but I am just so excited about these cool things!!!!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

So today I decided to show off some of my very favorite recent purchases, including perfect jeans, an Orvis military-style purple jacket, and the brand-new leather bag from the other day. I also am wearing my sunglasses holder pin for the first time- with some awesome vintage clubmaster-style sunnies! I figured I would go ahead and post my outfit tonight, and post tomorrow about some of the awesome stuff I got.

I already listed some of it in the etsy shop if you're interested. One of today's things actually already sold! Talk about turn around time! Anyway, here's my outfit:

This will be so perfect in the car to hold the road trip essentials and the last couple things that don't fit in my Samsonite suitcase and train case!! (I totally understand that I'm odd to be so obsessed with this stuff :)

A cozy pair of cute (is this possible?) sweats

A couple really soft sweaters

Vintage Leather Gloves

Some cute and comfy T's

And then, not for the trip...

A new computer chair! (We're using one of our dining room chairs right now...not too comfy!)